On a sunny summer day amid green fields in Egypt's Fayoum Oasis, Khaled Abdul Nabi sat under the shade of a mango tree watching his workers preparing lemon grass crops to be exported to Europe.

Just like most of his peers and neighbors in Agamyeen village in Fayoum Valley, 42-year-old Abdul Nabi inherited farming from his ancestors.

For decades, Abdul Nabi grew wheat, rice, cotton and corn in his 50-acre farm. But 13 years ago, the man decided to shift to the cultivation of organic medicinal herbs to earn more money.